Chapter 023
2018 -- S 2335
Enacted 06/04/2018

A N   A C T
RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- LAND SURVEYORS

Introduced By: Senators Sosnowski, Lynch Prata, Crowley, Felag, and Coyne
Date Introduced: February 15, 2018

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:
     SECTION 1. Section 5-8.1-9 of the General Laws in Chapter 5-8.1 entitled "Land
Surveyors" is hereby amended to read as follows:
     5-8.1-9. Board of registration for professional land surveyors -- Application and
qualification for registration.
     (a) (1) Application for registration as a professional land surveyor or certification as a
surveyor-in-training shall be made, in writing, on a form prescribed and furnished by the board of
land surveyors board of registration for professional land surveyors. The application shall:
     (i) Contain statements made under oath;
     (ii) Show the applicant's education;
     (iii) Contain a detailed summary of the applicant's technical and professional experience;
and
     (iv) Designate references as described in this section.
     (b) The fee established in ยง 5-8.1-11 must accompany each application. Failure to include
this fee will result in the application being returned to the applicant without consideration by the
board.
     (c) To be eligible for registration as a professional land surveyor, an applicant must be of
good character and reputation. Additionally, the applicant must submit five (5) references with
his or her application, three (3) of which are from registered professional land surveyors having
personal knowledge of his or her land surveying experience. No person seeking his or her initial
registration as a professional land surveyor shall be granted the certificate without first
completing a surveyor-in-training program as prescribed and approved by the board and pass
passing an examination in the fundamentals of land surveying. Upon passing that examination,
the applicant is granted a surveyor-in-training certificate in this state.
     (d) To be eligible for certification as a surveyor-in-training, an applicant must be of good
character and reputation substantiated by an interview with a quorum of the board of registration
board of registration of professional land surveyors and additionally must submit three (3)
character references one of which must be from a professional land surveyor.
     (e) One of the following shall be considered as minimum evidence to the board that the
applicant is qualified for registration as a professional land surveyor or for certification as a land-
surveyor-in training, respectively:
     (i) Graduation from a four-(4) year (4) survey degree program, experience and
examination. A graduate of a four-(4) year (4) survey degree program may be admitted to an
examination in the fundamentals of land surveying. Upon passing that examination the applicant
is granted a surveyor-in-training certificate in this state. After receiving the surveyor-in-training
certificate the applicant will need a specific record of a minimum four (4) years of experience in
land surveying. This verified experience shall be under the direct supervision of a registered
professional land surveyor, satisfactory to the board, and shall be broken down as follows.: At a
minimum, twenty percent (20%) shall be field experience,; twenty percent (20%) shall be
research, deed evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%) shall be property line
calculations and determination. Once the experience has been deemed satisfactory to the board,
the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the principles and practice of land surveying
plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing that examination, the applicant is
granted a certificate of registration to practice land surveying in this state, provided the applicant
is qualified.
     (ii) Graduation from a four-(4) year (4) degree program, experience and examination. A
graduate of a four-(4) year (4) degree program applicant who has also fulfilled the four (4) year
core curriculum (see paragraph (iii) below subsection (h) of this section) may be admitted to an
examination in the fundamentals of land surveying. Upon passing that examination the applicant
is granted a surveyor-in-training certificate in this state. After receiving the surveyor-in-training
certificate the applicant will need a specific record of a minimum five (5) years of experience in
land surveying. This verified experience shall be under the direct supervision of a registered
professional land surveyor, satisfactory to the board, and shall be broken down as follows: At a
minimum, twenty percent (20%) shall be field experience; twenty percent (20%) shall be
research, deed evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%) shall be property line
calculations and determination. Once the experience has been deemed satisfactory to the board,
the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the principles and practice of land surveying
plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing that examination, the applicant is
granted a certificate of registration to practice land surveying in this state, provided the applicant
is qualified.
     (iii) Four (4) year core curriculum. An applicant with a four (4) year degree as described
in paragraph (ii) above may need to take additional courses to fulfill, at a minimum, the following
core curriculum. For the following list of classes any equivalent class may be taken and any
survey related course may be substituted upon approval of the board:
     (A) Surveying I (3 credit hours), Surveying II (3 credit hours).
     (B) GPS & Geodetic control (3 credit hours).
     (C) Photogrammetry and remote sensing (3 credit hours).
     (D) Boundary adjustment computations (3 credit hours).
     (E) Land development/planning (3 credit hours).
     (F) Geographic/land information systems (3 credit hours).
     (G) Physics I with lab (4 credit hours).
     (H) Calculus I (4 credit hours), Calculus II (4 credit hours).
     (I) Statistical analysis (3 credit hours).
     (J) Law (12 credit hours): boundary law, law of contracts, law of property, estates &
trusts, professional ethics.
     (K) Business (9 credit hours): Quantitative business analysis I, business administration,
small business management, micro economics.
     (L) Science (9 credit hours): geology, astronomy, soils, dendrology, chemistry, biology,
ecology.
     (M) Computer usage (12 credit hours): introduction to computers, computer science,
computer programming, AutoCAD basics, AutoCAD advanced.
     (N) English composition (3 credit hours).
     (O) Advanced communication (6 credit hours): technical writing, creative writing or
speech.
     (iv)(iii) Graduation from a two-(2) year (2) survey degree program, experience, and
examination. A graduate of a two-(2) year (2) survey degree program may be admitted to an
examination in the fundamentals of land surveying. Upon passing that examination the applicant
is granted a surveyor-in-training certificate in this state. After receiving the surveyor-in-training
certificate the applicant will need a specific record of a minimum six (6) five (5) years of verified
experience in land surveying. (Four (4) of the years of experience shall be after receiving a
surveyor-in-training certificate). All six (6) five (5) years of experience shall be under the direct
supervision of a registered professional land surveyor, satisfactory to the board, and shall be
broken down as follows: At a minimum, twenty percent (20%) shall be field experience,; twenty
percent (20%) shall be research, deed evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%)
shall be property line calculations and determination. Once the experience has been deemed
satisfactory to the board, the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the principles and
practice of land surveying plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing that
examination, the applicant is granted a certificate of registration to practice land surveying in this
state, provided the applicant is qualified.
     (v)(iv) Graduation from a two-(2) year (2) degree program, experience, and examination.
A graduate of a two-(2) year (2) degree program applicant who has also fulfilled the two (2) year
core curriculum (see paragraph (vi) below subsection (h) of this section) may be admitted to an
examination in the fundamentals of land surveying. Upon passing that examination the applicant
is granted a surveyor-in-training certificate in this state. After receiving the surveyor-in-training
certificate the applicant will need a specific record of a minimum seven (7) five (5) years of
verified experience in land surveying. (Four (4) of the years of experience shall be after receiving
a surveyor-in-training certificate). All seven (7) five (5) years of experience shall be under the
direct supervision of a registered professional land surveyor, satisfactory to the board, and shall
be broken down as follows: At a minimum, twenty percent (20%) shall be field experience;
twenty percent (20%) shall be research, deed evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent
(20%) shall be property line calculations and determination. Once the experience has been
deemed satisfactory to the board, the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the
principles and practice of land surveying plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon
passing that examination, the applicant is granted a certificate of registration to practice land
surveying in this state, provided the applicant is qualified.
     (vi) Two (2) year core curriculum. An applicant with a two (2) year degree as described
in paragraph (v) above may need to take additional courses to fulfill, at a minimum, the following
core curriculum. For the following list of classes any equivalent class may be taken and any
survey related course may be substituted upon approval of the board:
     (A) Surveying I (3 credit hours), Surveying II (3 credit hours).
     (B) Mathematics (12 credit hours): advanced algebra, analytical trigonometry, analytical
geometry, spherical trigonometry, statistical analysis or quantitative business analysis I,
Analytical trigonometry and analytical geometry are mandatory classes to fulfill the (12 credit
hours).
     (C) Business and law (6 credit hours): legal principles, business administration, law of
contracts, law of property, estates & trusts, professional ethics.
     (D) Science (6 credit hours): physics, geology, astronomy, soils, dendrology, chemistry,
biology, ecology.
     (E) Computer usage (6 credit hours): introduction to computers, computer science,
computer programming, AutoCAD basics, AutoCAD advanced.
     (F) English composition (3 credit hours).
     (G) Advanced communication (6 credit hours): technical writing, creative writing or
speech.
     (vii) Graduation from a two (2) year program, experience and examination. Any person
obtaining a minimum of five (5) years experience under the supervision of a registered
professional land surveyor, and is satisfactory to the board, may be admitted to an examination in
the fundamentals of land surveying. Upon passing that examination the applicant is granted a
surveyor-in-training certificate (LSIT), in this state provided the applicant is qualified. Upon
obtaining a specific record of a minimum of an additional five (5) years of experience of
combined office and field experience satisfactory to the board in land surveying, which
experience was under the direct supervision of a registered professional land surveyor, and which
experience indicates to the board that the applicant may be competent to practice land surveying,
and the person is a graduate of a land surveying or related curriculum of satisfactory standing, of
two (2) years or more approved by the board, who has obtained an associates degree in land
surveying or related curriculum, the applicant may be submitted to an examination in the
principles and practice of land surveying plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon
passing that examination, the applicant is granted a certificate of registration to practice land
surveying in this state, provided the applicant is qualified. This subsection expires at midnight,
December 31, 2009.
     (viii) In certain instances in which an applicant presents an experience of unusually high
quality, the board, at its complete discretion, may allow an applicant, having acquired six (6)
verified years of active office and field experience in land surveying, which experience has been
under the direct supervision of a professional land surveyor, to be admitted to an examination in
the fundamentals of land surveying. Upon passing those examinations, the applicant is granted a
surveyor-in-training certificate in the state. This subsection does not exempt the applicant from
the required degree or the experience after obtaining the surveyor-in-training certificate (LSIT).
     (v) Experience, and examination. An applicant that who has recorded a minimum of
seven (7) years verified experience and who has also fulfilled the core curriculum (see subsection
(h) of this section) will need a specific record of a minimum of seven (7) years of verified
experience in land surveying. All seven (7) years of experience shall be under the direct
supervision of a registered professional land surveyor, satisfactory to the board, and shall be
broken down as follows: At a minimum, twenty percent (20%) shall be field experience; twenty
percent (20%) shall be research, deed evidence, reconciliation, etc.; and twenty percent (20%)
shall be property line calculations and determination. Once the experience has been deemed
satisfactory to the board, the applicant may be admitted to an examination in the principles and
practice of land surveying plus an additional Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing that
examination, the applicant is granted a certificate of registration to practice land surveying in this
state, provided the applicant is qualified .
     (ix)(vi) Surveying teaching. Teaching of advanced land surveying subjects in a college or
university offering an approved land surveying curriculum may be considered as land surveying
experience satisfactory to the board.
     (x)(vii) Registration by comity or endorsement. A person holding a current certificate of
registration to engage in the practice of land surveying issued to him or her by a proper authority
of a state, territory, or possession of the United States, or the District of Columbia must have, at
the time they were licensed, met the existing Rhode Island requirements for licensure. All
applicants applying under this section must have passed the written examinations in the
fundamentals of land surveying and the principles and practice of land surveying. If, based upon
verified evidence and the opinion of the board, the applicant meets all appropriate requirements
of this section, the applicant will be allowed to take the Rhode Island legal portion. Upon passing
this examination, the applicant shall be granted a certificate of registration to practice land
surveying in this state, provided the applicant is qualified.
     (f) The passing grade on all examinations offered by the land surveyors is not less than
seventy percent (70%). An applicant failing any examination may apply for re-examination upon
payment of the appropriate fees. An applicant who scores less than fifty percent (50%) on any
examination may not apply for re-examination for at least one year.
     (g) An applicant who fails any of the exams three (3) times shall be interviewed by the
board, before any further application can be acted upon. It is the applicant's responsibility to show
the board that he or she will be successful if allowed to take the exam again. If, in the board's
opinion, the applicant can not cannot satisfactorily demonstrate that he or she is qualified to re-
take the exam, the board may require that the applicant acquire additional knowledge, education,
and/or experience, satisfactory to the board before the applicant may sit for another exam.
     (h) Core curriculum. An applicant with a four-(4) year (4) degree as described in
subsection (e)(ii) of this section, a two-(2) year (2) degree as described in subsection (e)(iv) of
this section, or experience as described in subsection (e)(v) of this section may need to take
additional courses to fulfill, at a minimum, the following core curriculum. For the following list
of classes, any equivalent class may be taken and any survey-related course may be substituted
upon approval of the board:
     (1) Surveying (six (6) credit hours). Surveying I or equivalent, Surveying II or equivalent.
Courses must cover topics of GPS & Geodetic geodetic control and boundary adjustment
computations.
     (2) Mathematics (nine (9) credit hours). Qualifying courses: Algebra, Trigonometry, Pre-
Calculus, trigonometry, pre-calculus, or higher.
     (3) Business and law (six (6) credit hours). Qualifying courses: boundary law, contract
law, property law, trusts and estates, professional ethics, quantitative business analysis I, business
administration, small business management, micro economics, accounting principles, or related
courses.
     (4) Science (nine (9) credit hours). Qualifying courses: physics, geology, astronomy,
soils, dendrology, chemistry, biology, or ecology.
     (5) Computer Usage usage (three (3) credit hours). Qualifying courses: introduction to
computer, computer science, computer programing, AutoCad basics, AutoCAD advantage,
geographic/land information systems, introduction to spreadsheets, or word processing.
     (6) English composition, English composition II, technical writing, creative writing, or
speech (six (6) credit hours).
     SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.
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LC004635
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